Sixers Survive, Miami’s Butler Injured; Chicago Soars
Heat’s Hopes Take a Hit in Wednesday Play-ins
One of the main problems with playoff style basketball in the NBA is that intensity is so fierce that star players across the league are almost certain to get hurt at some point during the championship chase.
Happens every year. Superstars miss games or play hobbled. Superior teams that are large favorites in a series try to get things over as quickly as possible to avoid injuries to impact personnel. When relatively even teams battle each other…it’s a meat grinder. Injury rate is close to 100% on repeated trips through a meat grinder. Body parts are fragile. Meat grinders are not.
That reality moved front and center Wednesday night, when Miami’s Jimmy Butler suffered as wrist injury late in the first quarter. He continued to play, but was largely ineffective in a valiant effort. Franchise announced today that he would miss several weeks. It’s extremely likely that means missing the playoffs. The Heat are close to 50/50 to get eliminated Friday night by New York. Miami would be prohibitive underdogs without Butler in a first-round series vs. Boston.
Philadelphia (-5) 105, Miami 104
2-point Pct: Miami 47%, Philadelphia 47%
3-pointers: Miami 14/39, Philadelphia 12/35
Free Throws: Miami 14/19, Philadelphia 21/23
Rebounds: Miami 47, Philadelphia 49
Turnovers: Miami 13, Philadelphia 15
Estimated Pace: 95 possessions
A grinder all night, hidden by the final score because of an amazing flurry of points in the closing minutes when Miami kept chasing and fouling. Brutal loss for Under bettors (in 207.5 to 208.5 range) who nailed expectations for slow pace and intense defense.
Miami led 89-88 with three-and-a-half minutes to go. That’s a 191 pace. Game was tied at 96 with a minute to go. That’s a 196 pace. Landed on 209 with 17 points in the last 36 seconds!
This stuff happens in basketball. Not that many examples in the Big Dance a few weeks ago. We’ll see it again here and there in coming weeks. That doesn’t mean gamblers should “never bet Overs” because they can get hosed in the final minutes or in overtime. It just means that’s part of the math you have to deal with. Works both ways. Sometimes “Over” games bog down in the final minutes too.